Bipartisan condemnation floods Israel and Palestine protests in Philadelphia
(The Center Square) – The targeted boycott Sunday of Jewish-owned businesses in Philadelphia’s Rittenhouse Square drew bipartisan condemnation from area lawmakers as hundreds of residents gathered to counterprotest. The highly publicized event gained traction across multiple media outlets when Philly Bike On Your Left, a cycling group that posts on Instagram and routinely organizes protests against Israeli action in Gaza and federal immigration enforcement in the city, encouraged others to join the ride. Philadelphia police estimated 500 in Rittenhouse Square. Some of that total figure were in opposition to the protests. The plan, according to their statement , was to boycott Jewish-owned businesses in Rittenhouse Square they say express support for Israeli military action in Palestine following the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-driven attack on its citizens as they slept in their beds. Hamas, a recognized terrorist organization, has controlled the Gaza Strip since 2007. The Palestinian Ministry of Health says 75,000 civilians have died during Israel’s retaliatory military action. Counter-protestors who flooded the area Sunday to push back against the cyclists, backed by statements from Republican and Democratic lawmakers alike called the boycott “antisemitic and shameful” and disconnected from the war. The timing – between the anniversary of the Hamas
